It is known, for example from GB2235660, U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,398, GB2090795 and DE3522447 to provide a vehicle subframe which carries various components of the vehicle, such as steering and suspension components, and is arranged to deform on impact to absorb energy thereby helping to protect occupants of the vehicle in the event of a crash.
However the structures disclosed in these documents do not maximize the ability of the subframe to contribute to effective energy absorption, and the present invention aims to improve upon them.